Enhancing the Healing Environment

The Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme encourages and enables nurse-led teams to work in partnership with patients to improve the environment in which they deliver care.

It consists of two main elements:

• a development programme for a multidisciplinary team, led by a nurse and including estates and facilities staff, arts co-ordinators, patients and strategic health authority representatives
• a grant for the team to undertake a project to improve the patient environment. 

The programme initially focused on improving the acute hospital environment in London. However, the success of the programme in London led to its extension to mental health trusts and a number of primary care trusts in the capital. Forty-eight London NHS trusts have now taken part in EHE, and the programme is the single largest investment (more than £2.25 million) that The King's Fund has made in London's hospitals.

In 2003, the programme was extended beyond London. The King's Fund was commissioned by NHS Estates to take the initiative to 23 trusts (one per strategic health authority outside London) and, in 2004, the Department of Health and NHS Estates commissioned The King's Fund to extend the programme to a further 23 mental health trusts in England. These phases of the programme were launched by the health minister Lord Warner and funded by NHS Estates, the Department of Health and charitable funders.

Health minister Rosie Winterton launched a further phase of the programme in December 2005 when another 23 mental health and learning disabilities trusts from across England joined the EHE programme.

The 2010 EHE Network Awards

This year marks the 10th year of The King’s Fund’s Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme. As part of The King’s Fund’s contracted work with the Department of Health (DH) to mainstream EHE principles in the NHS, the DH has agreed to fund a one-off scheme of Capital Awards for the EHE Network in 2010 to promote projects to improve the physical environment of care. Any EHE Network member may apply for the Awards but applications must be supported by their organisation which will be expected to make a financial contribution towards the project. Projects are likely to be in the range of £150,000 to £200,000.

More information for EHE Network members (via EHE Network website, password required)

Environments for Care at End of Life

In November 2007, a new phase of the programme to benefit people approaching the end of life and the bereaved was announced. The Department of Health is providing £1 million to fund new projects in 20 NHS organisations in England, with the aim of physically improving the environment for those who are dying and their relatives.

EHE in prisons

In June 2007, a pilot scheme was launched to take the EHE initiative into prisons in London. It is hoped that the prisons taking part will benefit from outcomes seen in previous evaluations of EHE, such as reduced aggressive behaviour from patients and increased staff recruitment and retention levels

An independent evaluation of the programme is being conducted by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. Evaluations of completed EHE projects have shown some significant long-term benefits for both patients and staff, including reduced aggressive behaviour and improved staff retention rates.

In 2009, the programme was extended to a further 20 prisons nationwide. The two-year programme is providing funding for twenty prisons to improve the physical environment in which health care is delivered to prisoners, such as clinics, assessment rooms and waiting areas. The projects are being led by health staff working in prisons and will involve prisoners in their planning and design.

The programme is being run by The King's Fund in partnership with the Department of Health, Offender Health (a joint Prison Service Unit/Department of Health initiative) and other charities. The King's Fund will provide leadership training for the project teams to ensure that they have the relevant tools to run successful projects.

Environments of care for people with dementia

In April 2009 the programme to benefit people in dementia care was launched with ten Enhancing the Healing Environment projects. The Department of Health is providing funds for a further ten new projects for NHS organisations in England, with the same aim of physically improving the environment for those who are suffering from dementia. Applications are now closed.

Extension of HM P/YOI Enhancing the Healing Environment programme – The King’s Fund in partnership with Offender Health, Department of Health

Applications are invited from all public and private sector HMP/YOI in England and Wales that provide health care to offenders to join a new programme to improve the environment in which health care is delivered to people in prison. This Offender Health funded initiative will continue to build on the success of The King’s Fund’s award winning Enhancing the Healing Environment programme in HMP/YOI. Applications are now closed.